Business Reimagined with Danny Iny | The Mirasee Podcast

Business Reimagined with Danny Iny takes you behind the scenes each week with thought and industry leaders to see how they are reimagining business in their realm. From marketers to authors, bloggers to software startups and beyond, Danny digs into the deeper ways of thinking that shape the future of how business is done.

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Monica Seles is a famous tennis player, and she revolutionized
the world of tennis by grunting. When she won an amazing upset in
the 1990 French Open, the 16-year-old created a new trend that was
quickly adopted by other players.

What can we learn from this?

While Monica's guttural addition to tennis was unintentional,
your own actions can set a standard and revolutionize energy,
happiness, and productivity. When you make the 'game' your own by
personalizing it, you win.

Today's guest, Ron Friedman, is an award-winning psychologist
and contributor to Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and CNN.
He has some amazing insights on how to increase your energy and
productivity by building a better workplace in the office or at
home. And if you're a leader, you can cause that change to ripple
out into the culture of your company.

Get 2 super-simple workplace hacks to increase your
productivity whether you're in an office or working from home.

Protect yourself and your free time with a few easy automated
email hacks that will increase your productivity in the long
run.

Find out what 2 things matter more than money, whether your
work in an office or at home.

Find out more about Ron’s expert opinion on energy, happiness,
and productivity, as well as a few simple steps you can take to
improve them, on today’s Business Reimagined.

Key Points:

At 3:00 – Ron talks about why he wrote his book, ‘The Best Place
to Work,’ and the main ways you can make your workplace the ‘best
place to work.’

At 8:00 – There are always trade-offs when trying to improve
your productivity, and Ron explains how to prioritize your plan of
attack.

At 12:00 – Ron explains that culture can’t be mandated in the
workplace, but setting examples can affect culture, especially when
you’re a leader. He also explains how companies like BMW prevent
employees from being overworked at home and on vacation.

At 19:00 – Monica Seles accidentally changed how tennis players
play tennis, and Ron explains how you can use that same tactic to
change how your company and co-workers act.

At 24:00 – Ron closes out the interview with some practical ways
to improve your own energy, happiness, and productivity whether you
work for a company, or at home.

It’s hard to believe that success in building an offer can drag you down. Really – if you’re raking in thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even a cool million, is that the kind of success your heart desires? Or do you want to create something that will be a legacy for everyone?

Today’s guest, Pat Flynn, is no stranger to building ultra-successful products. He’s been doing the Smart Passive Income blog and podcast for years and is a best-selling author. His latest book, Will It Fly, is about a wonderful process of validating your offer, but with a unique twist.

Find out what that twist is and more on today’s Business Reimagined with Danny Iny.

KEY NOTES:

At 5:00 – Pat talks about his biggest mistake, what he would have done differently after being laid off from his architecture job, and it’s something that every aspiring entrepreneur needs to hear.

At 6:30 – Pat shares his own doubts and fears that beginning entrepreneurs often face, like impostor syndrome and competition, and how he conquered them.

At 10:00 – His new book, Will It Fly, is written for anyone wanting to create a product – even a physical product, and Pat shares one of the most important concepts that you won’t find in most courses.

At 12:30 – Pat shares his thoughts on transparency and a simple exercise you can do with one sheet of paper and a pen that will help you focus your whole life.

At 22:00 – As for the future, Pat has an even grander vision in addition to the Smart Passive Income blog and podcast, and it involves educating children.

You’ve heard it before: to be an artist is to suffer. Whether you’re acting, writing, painting, or any other creative endeavor, it’s easy to want to pretend the business side of things doesn’t exist. Money is dirty, and technology is too hard, right?

You don’t have to be a starving artist. You don’t have to feel bad about leveraging technology and charging money for your hard work.

Today’s guest, David H. Lawrence XVII, is an actor from the hit show Heroes, a prolific voice actor and coach, and a technology junkie. When he’s not being artistically awesome, he’s busy spreading his message to all creatives. To be an artist isn’t enough these days.

You need the Art, the Commerce, and the Science.

Learn all about what David’s 3-pronged approach to acting and creative work, which relies strongly on sound entrepreneurial practices, on today’s episode of Business Reimagined with Danny Iny.

KEY POINTS:

At 2:00 – David explains his theory of observable realities and the definition of success that he gives to every client. He then explains exactly what he means by Art, Commerce, and Science.

At 9:00 – David explains how the approach of Art, Commerce, and Science applies to fields beyond actors and creative – especially entrepreneurs and solopreneurs. He talks about what you have to do to succeed.

At 12:00 – There’s a lot of controversy around ‘selling out’ when it comes to creatives making money with their art, especially around bestselling author James Patterson and his method for pushing out a ton of books every year.

At 16:00 – The 80/20 rule is used by a lot of people to forgo learning Commerce and Science, so David gives his take on how to 80/20 correctly when those aren’t your strengths.

At 20:00 – David dispels the myth that if you have really great art (or an amazing product), you’ll be discovered. He shares what you REALLY need to do to succeed.

You know that feeling of dissatisfaction that haunts you, no matter how often you tell yourself you should be happy? When you look at your career trajectory or business, you just know you weren’t ‘born for this.’ It’s not what you were meant to do in life.

Is there something wrong with you? Are you ungrateful and restless?

According to today’s guest, Chris Guillebeau, not at all. In fact, feeling dissatisfaction is a GOOD thing. It will help you make changes in your life, the kind of changes bring you closer to what you were BORN to do.

Chris offers three words to live by: Joy, Money, and Flow. In today’s episode, he explains what each of them means, how they can guide you through everyday AND life-changing decisions, and how to know when you’ve discovered what you were born to do.

If you feeling the crushing weight of dissatisfaction and don’t know why, then you really need to check out today’s Business Reimagined.

KEY POINTS:

At 2:00 – Chris explains that it’s okay to give up on something, as long as you consider two simple questions.

At 10:00 – Chris touches on his ‘Joy, Money, Flow’ model, and how you can apply it to decisions, changes, and situations in your career and business.

At 14:00 – Chris explains why people miss out on what they were born to do, and problem number one is when you narrow your options before you should and stunt your potential.

At 16:00 – Some entrepreneurs have projects going that are partially successful, so they hang on to them. Chris explains why this is a hard habit to break, but necessary.

At 25:00 – Chris tells you what you can do RIGHT NOW to get started on the path to Joy, Money, and Flow, and what you were born to do.

As a small business owner, how can you compete with the 800-pound gorilla in your space? Easy! You can be human. But you’re not going to accomplish that with marketing. You do it with branding.

Do you know the difference between marketing and branding?

Glen T. Campbell does, and on today’s Business Reimagined, he explains why he believes that ‘marketing’ has become a dirty word, and why great branding is what will give you an advantage over everyone else. Glen has been honing his skills for nearly 3 decades with some of the top marketing agencies across the globe, and now works directly with leaders.

You’ve GOT to hear his 3 step process to create a winning brand, and it starts with you, the CEO or entrepreneur: Understanding, Pulse, and Connection. Glen talks about how these 3 things will filter out through your organization, and into the minds and hearts of your audience.

At 4:00 – Glen shares his 3 step process that starts with the leader or entrepreneur: Understanding, Pulse, and Connection.

At 8:00 – Glen explains what happens to a brand when all three things are achieved, and gives some real-life examples of companies that exhibit top-notch branding, including the owner of a small chain of butchers, led by Ray the Butcher.

At 14:00 – Danny asks a very pointed question: Is Walmart a brand? Glen gives his surprising answer that reached back to the genesis of the company and its original vision.

At 17:00 – Glen explains exactly what he means when he says ‘brand,’ and what happens when a company starts with a great brand and loses it.

At 25:00 – Sometimes business owners don’t have time to build a brand before they make money, and Glen sets those concerns to rest. He explains how brand is built not just through communication and marketing, but also with every transaction a business makes.

Do you know the difference between being ‘big’ and being ‘great?’ Bo Burlingham, author of Small Giants, does, and he was one of the driving forces that shaped entrepreneurship as we know it today.

Today, Bo talks about what it means to be a small giant, to have ‘mojo,’ and what choices those companies make that the others don’t. He explains that client and customer relationships aren’t the only ones that matter.

Finally, would you DARE show your employees your financials? Bo says you should, but he lays an even more important groundwork for creating the type of company culture where everyone cares because they have a stake in the company’s success.

If you believe it’s better to be great than to be big and that there are more important things than maximizing revenue, you’ll love this episode of Business Reimagined.

Key Points:

At 5:30 – Bo talks about the defining differences between companies that choose to be great instead of big and those who don’t, and what he means when he says a company has ‘mojo.’

At 9:00 – According to Bo, you DO have a choice in what kind of business you want to run, and there are consequences to pollution and cheating your customers. You can’t blame it on business.

At 11:00 – Bo addresses the trade-off between great and big, and whether you have to choose one or the other to succeed.

At 16:00 – Company culture is a relatively new idea, and Bo talks about working with one of the shaping forces behind open-book businesses.

At 20:00 – Bo reflects on the impact of his career on entrepreneurship, and whether or not he thinks he’s really done the heavy lifting or not.

Think about the last time you went in for a job interview or a meeting with a potential client. What was your frame of mind? It probably had nothing to do with the sense of creating an extraordinary life. In fact, most people think the same thing.

“Oh please, pick me! Pick me!”

But what if you went in with the confidence that you had something valuable to offer, and the interview was as much for you as it is for them? Then, if you landed that job, what if you weren’t afraid to ask presumptuous questions of someone way above you on the hierarchical ladder? Would you have the guts to ask for a quarterly dinner alone with the CEO?

Today’s guest, Stever Robbins, has a lot to say about happiness and success, and it comes straight from his research into the lives of Harvard Business School and MIT graduates. In fact, as a HBS graduate himself, Stever has been an executive coach for many years, helping his clients understand how to live an extraordinary life, and it all comes back to daring to do what you think you shouldn’t.

Do you want to realize how much value you really have, and your potential to live an extraordinary life? Then you don’t want to miss today’s episode.

KEY POINTS:

At 4:00 – Stever talks about his experiences he had interviewing his fellow HBS grads, and asking them if they had an interesting, satisfying, happy life. He also talks about the two kinds of happiness.

At 10:00 – Stever explains that entrepreneurs don’t necessarily have more control of their destinies than corporate employees. In fact, corporate employees just pretend they don’t have control, but they really do, if they have the guts to seize it.

At 15:00 – Want to know how to talk with your CEO and know how to contribute? Stever explains how to catch the attention of higher ups – and even high profile clients – by asking great questions and doing the legwork they don’t have time to do.

At 21:00 – Danny and Stever discuss the important of learning how to learn, and understanding what is good content.

At 24:00 – Stever gives listeners three concrete actions they can take today to live a more extraordinary life.

When you think of the term strategic philanthropy, one company comes to mind: Tom’s Shoes. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of them. For every pair of shoes someone buys from them, they send another pair to a developing country. That strategy, do good to make money, has made them incredibly successful.

Today’s guest is Tom Matzen, and in this episode, he explains exactly what strategic philanthropy is, how your customers will thank you for raising prices, and a simple formula any company, from start up to corporation, can use to do good and make more money – ethically.

Today’s episode is a little longer than normal, but it’s one you’ll want to come back to more than once.

KEY POINTS:

At 3:00 – Tom describes the difference between a small business owner and an entrepreneur.

At 8:00 – It was a poor review from a customer Tom helped to increase her sales by 50% that finally made him realize that he wasn’t truly meeting all of his clients’ needs.

At 12:00 – Tom dives into what strategic philanthropy is, and how to pick a great cause to support that makes sense for you and your customer.

At 20:00 – Tom describes the formula any company can use to do good and make more money in an ethical and sustainable way.

At 26:00 – Tom shares his vision of how it’s up to business to save the world, not government.

At 33:00 – Tom explains how a company can use a simple formula to ensure they are sustainable as they work toward their good cause.

Productivity is something every single entrepreneur, and aspiring entrepreneur, struggles with. Whether it’s finding time to keep your business running smoothly, or finding time to launch your business while you have a day job, people are looking for a magic bullet.

While there isn’t a way to make all your work disappear, there IS a way to make sure it gets done, whether or not you’re the one doing it.

Today’s guest, Ari Meisel, is a productivity and automation master. Using what he learned through taking back his life and health from Crohn’s disease, he put together a system that revolutionized the way he did business. While he may seem super-human, he’s got just as many hours in a day as the rest of us. He just uses them more wisely.

Plus, he designed an awesome app to tell you when you’re most productive, to make the best of your own hours.

Find out how supercharge your own productivity on today’s Business Reimagined.

Key Points

At 6:00 – Ari talks about the two key points of the system he created. First is the 80/20 rule, and second, the external brain, which is a system you use to capture your best ideas and organize them. You might have heard of these ideas, but Ari talks about how to automate and outsource them.

At 8:00 – Ari talks about his ‘Less Doing Peak Time’ app that measures your productivity with a simple tap test, and what you should be doing with your peak time. Hint: It’s not the things you don’t like doing!

At 16:00 – Ever wonder how to take your first step into mindfulness meditation, and what it even has to do with productivity? Ari give you a great starting point and the reasoning behind it.

At 18:00 – Hiring staff can be expensive, and Ari addresses which services and tools are available – many of them FREE – to get you to a place where you’re spending more time doing what you love.

At 20:00 - Ari talks about how much time you can actually save using his system, and gives several key points about his book, and how he wrote it.

Steve Jobs knew how to inspire people. So did Howard Schultz when he rescued Starbucks. What did these two men have that so many other leaders don’t? Inspired leadership.

They understand that there is a greater arc of story in their businesses, one that is instinctively felt and driven not just by them, but also by their employees. They understand that story, ceremony, and symbolism are important for the growth of an organization.

Today on Business Reimagined, Nancy Duarte talks to all types of leaders. It doesn’t matter if you’re leading a small group or global powerhouse. You’ve got to be a torchbearer, the type of leader who can shed light on an organization’s journey, even if it’s into unfamiliar and risky territory.

Do you measure up to what it really takes to be a leader?

Key Points:

At 6:00 – Nancy describes the 5-act structure an organization goes through as they collectively strive for a goal, and the warning indicators that accompany each phase.

At 10:00 – Nancy discusses how moments become ‘movements’ that your employees, or travelers, can get behind, and it all has to do with staying tuned in with each other.

At 14:00 – Nancy goes into more details about that 5-act structure and how it can help you as a leader know what to do to inspire your employees. She also talks about what happens when you have to repeat steps.

At 19:00 – Manufacturing movements or creating insincere moments is the quickest way to invite resentment and distrust among your employees, and Nancy discusses the pitfalls and how NOT to do that.

What do you think of when you hear the words ‘urban monk?’ Do you picture some guy in a robe meditating on top of a skyscraper? Maybe you’re thinking of meditation 2.0 and some guru’s new, flowery method of finding inner peace.

Not even close.

Today’s guest, Pedram Shojai, is anything but flowery. While his knowledge is ancient and comes from his time with kung fu masters, ascetic monks, and even the Dali Lama, Pedram is a dad. He’s an entrepreneur and a realist.

And he wants you to be well.

It starts with three minutes at a time, and they type of meditation you can do while driving. Then, take a look at your schedule. Do you suffer from ‘time compression?’ Have you scheduled in the things you need to be well, things like family?

What is all your busyness really doing to your energy level, and how do you get more of it?

Pedram answers these questions and more on today’s Business Reimagined.

At 4:00 – Pedram talks about the average person, and his motivation for writing the book, Urban Monk.

At 9:00 – These are the questions you need to answer as an entrepreneur, and a practical way to increase your energy levels. Pedram calls it energy profit, and explains where to reinvest it.

At 12:00 – The real secret to meditation, and it’s not nearly as complicated or flowery as you’ve been led to believe by other gurus.

At 14:00 – The best word you can learn to say is ‘no.’ Pedram talks about the concept of time compression, and what it does to your mind. There is a formula for directing your attention, and Pedram explains what it is.

At 20:00 - Pedram explains one simple way to feel more present and connected without the lure of the entire world at your dinner table.

There’s a big misconception going around about business. Either you climb the corporate ladder as fast as you can and retire, or you become an entrepreneur trying to hit a homerun, and you work yourself into oblivion to get there.

Corbett Barr of Fizzle used to believe the same thing, but a trip to Mexico completely changed his perspective of what business is, specifically entrepreneurship, and how people really CAN put their lives in front of their businesses.

What’s more, they can build something that’s not just big, but great, the type of company to truly makes a positive impact on the world around it. There might be growing pains along the way, but Corbett talks about how to avoid as many of them as you can, and how to remain sane during the scaling up process.

At 5:00 – Corbett talks about his amazing experience in Mexico that reshaped his entire way of thinking about entrepreneurship and his future.

At 9:00 – Scaling up is daunting, especially when you’re used to operating alone, and Corbett talks about the transition from a company of one to where he is now. He also describes what TYPE of people he hired.

At 12:00 – Corbett explains what his benchmarks are for business. The first one has NOTHING to do with money but EVERYTHING to do with how and why you build your business. He also points out that Airbnb and Uber may be huge, but aren’t necessarily great.

At 19:00 – Even though he disliked just about everything about the consulting company he worked for, Corbett brought one highly important concept with him, a metric that measured something other than company profit. He shares that thoughtful way to look at your employees.

At 21:00 – Corbett digs into exactly how he sees business differently than other people, from start up to scaling up, and the very first thing you can do to avoid a lot of trouble and heartache in YOUR business.

How many predictions have you heard yet for 2016? And how many of them are actionable and sustainable, rather than shiny things that will end up distracting you?

My guess is not many.

Today, Danny Iny gives his own set of predictions for the year, based around ethical practices, audience engagement, and, most importantly, getting the right message to the right person at the right time. What does that mean?

Segmentation.

Advances in technology are making it easier than ever. This means it’s no longer out of reach for anyone, from beginner to established entrepreneur.

Find out how you AND your audience can benefit from the right message to the right person at the right time on today’s episode of Business Reimagined.

At 3:00 – Funnels have been a hot topic in 2015, but a lot of people have missed the boat on what to do with your growing audience after the funnel works. Danny explains why segmentation isn’t out of reach for anyone.

At 5:00 – It might be surprising to some, but JV partnerships are going to decline in their success rate, once again due to the poor segmentation that happens. Danny offers some sound advice for JV partnerships.

At 12:00 – The ‘one size fits all’ approach to audience is no longer working; 2016 will be about personalization on a one-to-one level.

At 15:00 – With so much noise on the Internet, it’s hard to stand out. Danny talks about what worked before, why it’s not going to work any longer, and what will yield the best results this year.

At 19:00 – Danny lays out the best ways to implement these new ideas right now, from segmentation to content, and engagement to being a decent person.

There’s a lot of coaches out there who have one goal, to make you a happier person. But Todd Herman has a different take on coaching, and that’s not to make you happy, but to make you a master of high performance. Todd thinks that when you’re performing at your best in body, emotion, and mind, the natural result of that IS happiness.

Whether or not you agree, you can’t argue with Todd’s results. His way of looking at high performance began in working with children, and his message was so strong it affected their parents, some of whom were business execs and influences. From there it was just a matter of time before Todd was working with them as well.

On today’s Business Reimagined, Danny and Todd talk about the elements of high performance, how the mind works, and the simple Venn diagram he uses to explain business that not even MBA graduates can break.

At 3:00 – Todd talks about what sets him apart from other coaches, and it has everything to do with context over content. It’s the ‘ah-HA’ moments he’s looking for, where content becomes personally applicable.

At 7:00 – Todd shares his number one piece of advice for anyone who’s new to a field, whether it’s sports, online business, marketing, or anything else. Find out what one thing Todd says you need to learn to make you successful, and keep you on solid footing.

At 11:00 – Todd’s Venn diagram for business – any type of business – might seem simple, but not even MBA students can break it. Find out what it is, and why it works.

At 17:00 – Todd talks mental game and how to deal with impostor syndrome, and his unique take on embracing it helps you to be more successful.

At 29:00 – Parting thoughts from Todd, including the single biggest thing you can do for yourself to advance in your field, and it’s something he did himself.

You’ve heard stories of people who spend their lives playing fictional games, from sci-fi to farming crops. Some of them have even lost jobs and relationships. Is it really worth it? Today’s guest, Steve Kamb has a new type of game, one that replaces empty rewards with a the epic quest to ‘level up your life.’

What does that mean?

Have you ever wanted to get in shape? Maybe climb the corporate ladder or strike out on your own? Perhaps you want travel the world or learn to salsa. Whatever your goal is, Steve has created a personal gaming platform that is addictive in all the RIGHT ways. He’s the founder of Nerd Fitness and just released his book, ‘Level Up Your Life.’

At 3:00 – Steve outlines his own hero’s journey that took him from full time job to the Rebel Leader of Nerd Fitness who sold everything and traveled the world. Don’t worry – you don’t have to travel the world to level up YOUR life. Steve explains.

At 9:00 – Steve thinks the life is a game, and some people just don’t get it. What does that mean for his community? How does he handle naysayers? Simple. The ‘ban hammer.’

At 17:00 – Steve often says he’s done things the opposite of how most people do them, and for Nerd Fitness, that’s been the secret to his success. Steve shares how he did it. Hint: audience first!

At 20:00 – Gamifying things is a proven way to increase engagement, and Steve explains how he turned self-improvement into a game using the same techniques that real games employ.

At 25:00 – Steve talks about the impact he wants to create, and where he wants to take Nerd Fitness, and the spectrum of challenging to rewarding.

Jason Zook is no stranger to risk and opportunity, and he’s been on both sides of the bank ledger for it. From selling his last name twice (can you imagine being Jason Headsetsdotcom?), to wearing company t-shirts and talking about their brands for money, what sets Jason apart is his originality.

He was the type of kid who got bad grades in school, not because he got the wrong answers. Jason got the RIGHT answers, but he was penalized for not working them out the right way.

Today, Danny talks with Jason about his unique business style, the twists and turns he went through personally and professionally, and finally, about how he achieved his current success as Jason Zook.

At 5:00 - Jason talks about all the problems he had with his various launches, and how much money he lost as a result. The answer is surprising.

At 9:00 - While he doesn't believe in luck, Jason believes on one thing: things will be tough. He shares his message on how to overcome these things.

At 10:00 - Jason gives a shocking example of who actually succeeds with entrepreneurship, and who doesn't have the grit to see it through.

At 16:00 - Jason gives his thoughts and an honest account of when he was $100,000 in debt, and how it felt revealing it for the first time on stage, where he was scheduled to give a talk on success.

At 23:00 - Like Danny, Jason crawled out of his debt, and he shares the steps he took to do it.